The EU plans to significantly increase tariffs on Ukrainian goods after the current duty-free deal lapses on June 6, the Financial Times reported on May 14, citing undisclosed diplomatic sources.
The blockade ended at 10:30 p.m. local time. Truck traffic in both directions is now moving as usual, according to Ukraine's State Border Guard's statement.
Russia seems to be preparing a significant offensive in Ukraine as it is moving troops toward key positions on the front, the Financial Times reported on May 13, citing undisclosed Ukrainian intelligence officials.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said he will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, but said both leaders are ready to fly to Istanbul if Russian President Vladimir Putin chooses to attend the talks there.
Andriy Yermak, Zelensky's chief of staff, said that the new pontiff had a phone call with Zelensky on Monday, during which the pope expressed willingness to facilitate meetings between global leaders and vowed to support efforts for "a just and lasting peace."
In an interview with French broadcaster TF1 on May 13, Macron discussed new Russia sanctions and stationing French nuclear weapons in other European countries as a deterrent against Russia.
Performing their song "Bird of Pray," Ukrainian band Ziferblat passed the Eurovision semi-finals on May 13, qualifying Ukraine for the grand final on May 17.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that a Russian delegation will be in Istanbul on May 15 for direct peace talks with Ukraine. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin’s foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov will likely represent Russia.
The move follows Ukraine's ratification of the minerals agreement, deepening U.S.-Ukraine economic ties and signaling expanded U.S. involvement in Ukraine's long-term recovery.
"Ukraine has initiated a coordinated campaign to vilify Hungary in order to undermine our initiative to hold a poll on (Kyiv's) EU membership," Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said.
A Russian policeman guards the entrance to the British Embassy in Moscow, Russia, on March 15, 2018. (Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Russia announced on Sept. 13 that it is expelling six staff members of the British Embassy in Moscow, accusing them of "espionage and subversive activities."
The step comes shortly after U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy's visit to Kyiv and amid rumors that the West may soon greenlight strikes with British long-range missiles against Russian soil.
Russia's Foreign Ministry said it had canceled the diplomats' accreditation based on "evidence" of their alleged intelligence activities provided by Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB).
London has not yet responded to Moscow's accusations. The U.K. has previously also expelled Russian diplomats over suspicions of espionage.
Moscow called the step a response to "numerous unfriendly steps by London" and said the diplomats' activity "threatened Russia's security." Russian pro-state media have often portrayed the U.K. as one of Russia's key geopolitical adversaries.
The FSB claimed it had uncovered "documentary materials... confirming London's coordination of the escalation of the international military-political situation."
The security service specifically named the British Foreign Office's Eastern Europe and Central Asia Directorate as the "lead unit coordinating the implementation of subversive policies" against Russia.
The FSB threatened further expulsions if more "evidence" of the supposed espionage was found.
The relations between London and Moscow have been marred by Russia's attempted poisoning of former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter on British soil in 2018 and by the U.K.'s extensive support for Ukraine.
Russia has been repeatedly accused of deploying spies to European capitals under the guise of diplomatic work. Dozens of embassy staff members have been expelled over the past years due to suspicions of espionage from Austria, Czechia, Moldova, Germany, and elsewhere.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Chris York
